Pregnancy while on Coumadin

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Mama2Rylan

Mama2Rylan

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 16, 2005
Messages
107
Location
Good ole' WISCO
Hey Everybody!

So lately I have been finding that all of my friends are having little babies, and with my son turning two in a couple months, I have been thinking about what it would be like being pregnant again. Now, I am definitely not ready yet, but in a couple years, after my heart has adjusted to the surgery and all of that. So my question is, what is it like being on coumadin and getting pregnant/having a baby:confused: My surgeon told me that I would only have to wait a year after the surgery, but my cardio didn't really seem all that excited about the idea of me getting pregnant at all. I guess I was just wondering if anyone on here has gotten pregnant while taking anti-coagulants and how it went for them.
 
It's not an easy, safe, or recommended thing to do. However, there have been posts about it. Here are a couple of threads...

http://www.valvereplacement.com/for...40084&highlight=pregnancy+coumadin#post140084

and

http://www.valvereplacement.com/for...18717&highlight=pregnancy+coumadin#post118717

Use the VR.com search (advanced) to find more posts about this.

There is also a BLOG that is supposed to deal with feminine issues and valves, but I have not seen it, and don't know what its contents are: www.girlvalves.com

It's not impossible, but it is considered high risk from the start. Coumadin may be teratogenic in the first trimester. Daily heparin shots are the work-around. Miscarriages are a major concern as well.

Best wishes,
 
Pregnancy and warfarin

Pregnancy and warfarin

One of the women working at my local supermarket HAS to take warfarin while she is pregnant but not normally. She doesn't have any heart condition, it is something to do with clots when pregnant.
 
Oh Baby

Oh Baby

This is something I discussed with my cardio and surgeon at my pre op. To help with valve choice.
They did inform me that they prefer you to have a tissue valve if you want more children, but that it is possible with planning if you have a mechanical.Warfarin can cause in vitro haemoraging, so the whole thing has to be planned so that you come off warfarin before you are pregnant and take another drug, heparin for instance in its stead. You would have to be closely monitored all the way through and pssible for a while after the birth. But they did confirn to me that it was possible.

My advise... Talk to your GP and your cardiologist amd if necessary a Ob Gyn too. They would be the right people to advise you.

Hope you get little footsteps safely....

Take care


Lotti
 
Warfarin can be taken after week 12 of a pregnancy until about a month or so before the due date. Then they switch back to heparin (or a derivative). This is so it can be stopped in time for the delivery.

Pregnant women have a high risk of clotting. They need to produce a lot of clotting factors just before the birth to prevent bleeding. Also the excess load around the abdomen pushes on the artery on the left side right where the leg connects to the body. On the left the artery lies on top of the vein. This pressure slows the blood flow back from the left leg. Most clots occur in the left leg because of this.
 
Gee. That's a lot of heavy information. Maybe you could consider adoption. I know it is a huge committment, but then no one would have to worry about you throughout a pregnancy. And, you could probably choose the sex of the baby, too!! There are so many adoptive families now. So many! It's a win-win kind of thing. Anyway, just a thought.

I was able to get far past my 3 pregnancies (kids!) before I needed my valve replaced (pretty soon, now and I'm 52). Had I been faced with your dilemma, I think I would have seriously looked into adoption as I truly wanted more than one child. I hope you will consider it.

Having your one beautiful boy is a gift, of course! I believe it is an old eskimo saying....... one is like none and two is like ten! Are you ready for another one??? :D

Best wishes! Marguerite
 
It's a tough spot to be in. We had always planned on having 3 children. My valve went south with the pregnancy of our daughter, our 2nd child. I had my valve replaced when she was 5, after 5 really tough years of problems. After I had my valve replaced and started feeling better I began thinking about our plans to have 3 children. I knew right away that having a 3rd child, for me, was not something I should do because of the jeopardy to the child and to my own health. I already had 2 that had been through a tough time with Mommy being "sick". I had to go through a real period of grief for that 3rd child that was not to be. It was at a time where our closest friends were finishing out their families, having 3rd and 4th babies. It was tough. By the time I got over the grief period and the sense of loss, we briefly contemplated adopting. We chose not to. We had 2 children already. I think if we'd only had one, we would have gone the adoption route. If we had adopted, the 3rd child would have been around 7 years younger than our daughter. It was an age gap that we felt somewhat negated our reasons for having a 3rd child, having them close in age.

Our best friends' family pretty much mirrors ours. Our son is 3 months older than their daughter and our daughter is 6 days younger than their son. They had their 3rd child 2 years after their son, right about the time we would have had our 3rd child. It was hard to see them fulfilling their family plans while we could not. As our children got older, and my husband and I, as a couple, began to get some "couple time" back because our children were older, we looked to our best friends (who live right next door) and saw them still getting baby sitters. :) When we sent our daughter off to college and became empty nesters (and honeymooners again) we'd look next door and see our friends still dealing with teenage antics at home :) while we were finally past that. It didn't take us too long after we came to the realization that 2 children would be it for us to accept it and not look back. But as the years went on, we also realized that it was working out well to have our 2. And I have to say, it started to seem like a REALLY good idea to only have 2 right about the time ours reached Jr. High age.:D

Life is what you make of it after facing the hurdles. When plans fall through, better things can come to pass.
 
I can relate to your question as well since I have no children and now that Im taking coumadin It looks like Im not going to be having any at all. Im still trying to come to terms with this. Hopefully my husband will let me get another Yorkie.:D Have a tickin day:D
 
Pregnancy with a mechanical valve can be done. It just should not be an accident.
 
Hi everyone,

Sorry I haven't been around in a while, but I noticed this thread and thought I'd throw my 2 cents in, for what it's worth...

I'm in the same boat. Almost got my tubes tied, but something just didn't feel right about it. Then someone suggested I go see another high risk OB at the Nebraska Med Center (one of the best in our area). They seem very optimistic and not scared about it at all. Even said that I could stay on warfarin the entire time if my dose is low enough (5mg/day or lower - which my dose is actually right around there).

I have an artificial mitral valve (I'm not sure what your reasons for being on coumadin are), which makes it a higher risk of clotting, and my INR needs to be a little higher than the norm. The downside I keep hearing with the heparin shots are that there are highs and lows between when you inject and your next injection. Another way around that is a heparin pump (like what some diabetics use for diabetes).

But my high risk OB's main concern was between the weeks of 6-12, like someone else mentioned. So if/when we reach that point, I might push for the heparin IV for those weeks, but be on coumadin the remainder.

Anyway, that's just what I've found in my search - I don't have any kids at all yet, but it's really something that I'd like to do on my own (mentally and financially). (surrogacy and adoption can get to be really expensive - from what I hear, they're expensive enough once *out* of the womb) :)

Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions!!

Good luck!
Kerri
 
See a High Risk OB

See a High Risk OB

I am 26, it has been 9 months since my valve replacement and I am thinking of having children in the next year. I have talked with my cardiologist and she gave me the ok. I have also talked with a high risk OB and he has given me a thumbs up too. When I first came on this site I was scared off by everyone saying it was not ok to having a baby with a valve replacement. You switch to shots every day - yes, it is not going to be the best thing in the world, but it is possible. There are many women out there that have babies and are on heprin or lovenox. Definately see a high risk OB, talk to your cardiologist and find out if it is possible for yourself.
 
Kerri & Kris:

Best of luck for both of you!! Please keep us informed if/when you do become pregnant and how your pregnancies go. This will be educational for all of us here and might benefit other women of child-bearing age who have mechanical valves or those who are trying to decide on which type of valve (tissue vs. mechanical).
 
Kerri & KMB,
Thanks for your input. It is good to get the latest information from people who have seen high-risk OBs recently. I get asked these questions all the time either in person or on my website.
 
KMB said:
I am 26, it has been 9 months since my valve replacement and I am thinking of having children in the next year. I have talked with my cardiologist and she gave me the ok. I have also talked with a high risk OB and he has given me a thumbs up too. When I first came on this site I was scared off by everyone saying it was not ok to having a baby with a valve replacement. You switch to shots every day - yes, it is not going to be the best thing in the world, but it is possible. There are many women out there that have babies and are on heprin or lovenox. Definately see a high risk OB, talk to your cardiologist and find out if it is possible for yourself.
Click to expand...


I would guess that as fast as valve surgery is progressing, and the fact that younger people are being dx'd more than they were 20 years ago because of better technology, that we will see better possibilities for women on Coumadin bearing children. Now more valve issues are being corrected before permanent damage is done, so the person is left in better shape after the surgery.

If you feel good and you have the support of your doctors, I wish you both well.
 
Sounds like there is some really good news for you both. I wish you well and hope things turn out great.
 
I also have found that www.babycenter.com has had some discussion pages on women that are on heparin or lovenox. I will not be trying for another 6-8 months, but I will be sure to let you guys know how it goes - it is an important topic for young women!!
 
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